28 years later…

Directed by Danny Boyle, 28 years later… follows a young boy (Alfie Williams’ Spike) as he embarks on a perilous journey within the franchise’s post-apocalyptic landscape. Filmmaker Boyle, working from a screenplay by Alex Garland, delivers a visually audacious yet palpably erratic sequel that does, for the most part,  succeed only in fits and starts, as the often egregiously spare narrative contains little in the way of memorable happenings or even forward momentum – with the emphasis instead place on Spike’s episodic exploits within the movie’s meandering midsection. And while the picture admittedly does boast its fair share of striking images and moments, 28 years later… remains a woeful slog right up until it enters a comparatively enthralling third act detailing the central character’s encounter with a mysterious figure named Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) – with the effectiveness of this stretch certainly standing in sharp contrast to the lackluster bent of everything else within the proceedings. By the time the abrupt, setting-the-scene-for-another-installment climax rolls around, 28 years later… has cemented its place as a followup that simply isn’t able to stand on its own two feet (ie it feels like pure setup for more movies rather than a self-contained story).

** out of ****